Digging and loading machine



' Jan. 4, 1944. E. SHINN, JR

DIGGING AN D LOADING MACHINE Filed July 29, 1941 Fly. 2

INVENTOR EDWARD Sfl/NN, JR.

Patented Jan. 4, 1944 2.838.861 moomo sun Loanmo mom Edward Shinn, In, West Orange, N. 3.,

of one-half to Edward 8 ton, N. J.

"signer hinn, Sn, North Arling- Application July 29, 1941, Serial No. 404,485

My invention relates to digging and loadin machines, more particularly to an improved type of tractor machine provided with a shovel and capable of use as a mechanical shovel, loader, scraper, bulldozer, angle grader, trail builder and for like purposes.

In machines or this kind it is desirable to be able to load trucks of various sizes easily and quickly and with a minimum of spillage. The machine should be capable oi the uses outlined above and should also be of such size and shape that it is capable of moving and operating within small spaces, such as deep narrow ditches, and for excavation between closely spaced pillars or columns and in like places. In most machines of this kind now available a series of cables, drums and clutches and like elements are necessary for controlling movement of the machine and for controlling operation or the loading shovel. These units usually mounted near the front of the carriage reduce visibility to the front and produce unbalanced weight.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide an improved digging and loading ma chine which is small in size and hence capable, of use in small cramped spaces but which nevertheless is capable of loading trucks and convey= ances of various sizes and shapes and is capable of such use without undue spilling of the material being loaded.

It is another object of my invention to provide such a machine capable oi all the uses noted above but which is not too large and heavy and which can be easily controlled and operated.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simplified machine of the kind described in which cables, drums, clutches and like operat= ing mechanisms are eliminated, such a simple construction reducing cost, increasing ease of op eration and visibility.

It is another object or my invention to provide such a machine which, although low in height, is capable of loading at higher levels than the height of the machine when the shovel is at the rest position.,

The novel features which'I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, but the inven-' tion itself will best be understood by reference to the i'OllOWli'lg description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a digging and loading machine made according to my invention, Figure 2 is a front elevation with parts broken away to show details of construction, and Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the shovel and operating mechanism utilized in the machine shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figure 1, the machine is provided with a tractor having the usual caterpillar means II for propelling the machine in any direction.

It is provided with the usual prime mover l2 and the operators seat ii in front 01' which are mounted the various controls.

A pivoted frame, including a pair of horizontal members I4, pivoted at II, have extending upwardly therefrom the yoke members i. rigidly secured together by the cross tie ll. Secured to the front ends of the members it are membars 58 extending beyond the tractor'and provided with bucket stop members is against which the bucket or shovel rests when it is in non-ow crating position or when used for grading purposes. Secured to the members is and tilted at a slight angle to the rear are the ovel supporting elements is tied to the yoke members 88 by means of the tie bars it. 15's complete frame,

including elements ill, 86, ll, 88, it, it and 8b;

which is pivoted at the points 053 on either side of the tractor carriage can be pivoted about point for raising or lowering the home, and hence the bucket for determining the tion oi the bucket with reference to the tractor and thus the degree of cut during leveling or grading opera tlons.

Pivoting of the fr is accomplished by means of hydraulically operated pistons 23,, the ey ders of which are secured to the pivoted bracket members it pivotally mounted at 22 on the trac tor carriage, the piston rod g pivotally con nected at 24 to the yoke members ill. on fluid, which may air, oil or other is atted to the piston under pressure, the piston moves up and the frame can be pivoted to the front tov the extent desired. By pror means to be described later the ire can be likewise pivoted in clockwise direction to lower the frame and shovel.

The shovel supports and shovel operatingmech= anism are mounted on the standards it. As will be observed, the shovel 25 provided with the piv oted closure member 26 and having the conven tional latch 21! for holding the clutch member in place until operated by trip cord it" is mount-= ed on the end of ribbed reinforced arms 28 piv oted to the supporting elements it at 29. The arms are provided with L-shaped ends so that the pivot is oil center with respect to the arms 28 so that when the bucket is moved to a horizontal position the bucket is at the same time raised above the point where it would be if the pivot were centrally disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arms 28. This permits the loader to get into places or lower head room ally secured to the arms 28. Fluid or liquid un-. der pressure causes the piston to rise and rotate the bucket in a counterclockwise direction for loading purposes after it has been filled in the usual manner by movement of the tractor in a forward direction. I

The fluid to the various pistons is directed through the conduits 3|, 32 and 33 by means of three-way valves 3|, 32' and 33' which control the fluid under pressure from the supply tank 34. If air under pressure is used. the three-way, valve may open to the atmosphere to permit the pistons to return to their lower positions under weight of the frame or the shovel, or abypass can be provided to a reservoir from which the liquid can again be pumped into the tank. The method of control for these hydraulically operated cylinders is immaterial. For example, postive pressure to force pistons in either direction could be provided by means of two hose lines if desired.

It will thus be seen that the device is small and compact. The unbalanced weight at its forward end has been materially reduced. It is ca- I pable of any of the uses described above and because of the construction of the bucket arms can reach heights higher than those under which it would have to operate in connection with ex cavations in cramped quarters having low head room since it is possible to design the arms so that the distance between the pivot 28 and the longitudinal centers lines of the arms can be made any desired distance within limits. The use of the hydraulically operated means eliminates the need of all cables, drums and clutches and provides a simple and easily controlled device. In loading it is.possible, if the truck to be loaded is of great height, to build an incline or ramp with some of the material to be loaded so that the device can operate from any height desired and still at the same time operate in small quarters with low head room. Because the bucket is unloaded from the bottom, spillage is reduced to a minimum and because cables, drums and the like are eliminated unnecessary and unbalanced weight is kept to a minimum. In addition, due to the fact that there is no complicated and extensive supporting members at the front of the tractor, visibility is increased to a considerable extent.

While I have indicated the preferred embodiments of my invention of which I am now aware and have also indicated only one specific application for which my invention may be employed, it will be apparent that my invention is by no means limited to the exact forms illustrated or the use indicated, but that many variations may be made in the particular structure used and the purpose for which it is employed without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power driven mobile carriage, a frame extending along and lengthwise of said carriage'and beyond said carriage and pivoted at one end to said carriage and intermediate the ends of the carriage to rotate in a vertical plane, upwardly'extending supports mounted at the free end of the frame'extending past said carriage anda bucket for digging and loading pivoted to the upper end of said supports, and means for pivoting said frame and operating said bucket.

2. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power-driven mobile carriage, a frame mountedon said carriage and comprising a pair of members pivoted at one end to said carriage and extending beyond the end of said carriage, and yoke members extending upwardly from and in.- termediate theends of said pivoted members and rigidly secured together at their upper ends, upwardly extending members positioned at the outer free ends of said horizontally extending members, and means tying the upper ends to said yoke member to provide a rigid frame pivoted on said carriage and a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured to said upwardly,

on said carriage and including a pair of members I pivoted at one end to said carriage and extending horizontally beyond the end of said carriage, said pivoted members being rigidly secured together by means of yoke members extending upwardly from said carriage and secured together at their upper ends, upwardl extending members positioned at the free ends of said horizontally extending members and tied at their upper ends to said yoke member to provide a rigid frame pivoted on said carriage and a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured to said upwardly extending members at their upper ends, the upper ends of said bucket supporting arms being of L-shape whereby the pivot is placed off center with respect to the supporting arms to increase the height to which said bucket can be moved in a horizontal position, and means for pivoting said frame and independently controlled means for moving said bucket between vertical and horizontal positions.

4. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power-driven mobile carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage and including a pair of members pivoted at one end to said carriage near one end of said carriage and extending horizontally beyond the other end of said carriage, upwardly extending members positioned at the free ends of said horizontally extending members, a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured to said upwardly extending members at their upper ends, the upper ends of said bucket supporting arms being of'L-shape whereby the pivot is placed of! center with respect to the supporting arms to increase the height at which said bucket can be moved in a horizontal position, hydraulic means for pivoting said frame in a vertical plane and independently controlled hydraulic means for moving said bucket between vertical and hori-' extending members at the ends of said L-shaped members whereby when said bucket is moved from a vertical to a horizontal position it will be raised to a position higher than the point of pivt, and a hydraulically operated piston connected between the bucket arms and the supporting arms, and means for controlling the operation of said piston and bucket from said carriage, and means for pivoting said frame in a vertical plane to determine the clearance and angle of said bucket when in vertical position with respect to the surface over which said carriage moves.

6. A mechanical shovel and loader, including a power-driven mobile carriage, a frame pivotally mounted at one end to said carriage and including horizontal members extending beyond one end of said carriage and upwardly extending supporting members secured to the ends of the frame extending beyond the carriage, and a pair of upwardly extending yoke members supported on said horizontal members and positioned intermediate the pivots and the ends of the horizontal members extending beyond the carriage, and a tie member securing the upper ends of said yokes to form a rigid U-shaped structure connecting the horizontally pivoted members on either side of said carriage and other tie rods extending between the pair of upwardly extending supporting members and said yokes, and a shovel member having a pair. of spaced arms provided with L-shaped ends pivotally secured to said upwardly extending supporting members at the ends of said L-shaped members whereby when said bucket is moved from a vertical to a horizontal position it will be raised to a position higher than thepoint of pivot, and a hydraulically operated piston connected between the bucket arms and the supporting arms, and means for controlling the operation of said piston and bucket from said carriage, and means for pivoting said frame to determine the clearance and angle of said bucket when in vertical position with respect to the surface over which said carriage moves.

'I. A mechanical shovel and loader, including a power-driven mobile carriage, a frame pivotally mounted on one end to said carriage and including horizontal members extending. beyond one end of said carriage and upwardly extending members secured to the ends of the frame extending beyond the carriage, and a pair of upwardly extending yoke members supported on said horizontal members and positioned intermediate the pivots and the ends of the members extending beyond the carriage, and atie member securing the upper ends of said yokes to form a rigid U-shaped structure connecting the horizontally pivoted members on either side of said carriage and other tie rods extending between the pair of upwardly extending supporting members and said yokes, and a shovel member having a pair of spaced arms provided with L-shaped ends pivotally secured to said upwardly extending members at the ends of said L-shaped members whereby when said bucket is moved from a vertical to a horizontal position it will be raised to a position higher than the point of pivot, and a hydraulically operated piston connected between the bucket arms and the supporting arms, and means for controlling the operation of said piston and bucket from said carriage, and other independently controlled hydraulic means for pivoting said frame to determine the clearance and angle of said bucket when in vertical position with respect to the surface over which said carriage moves.

8. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power-driven mobile carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage and comprising a pair of horizontally extending members extending beyond the end of said carriage and pivoted at one end to said carriage and intermediate the ends of said carriage for movement in a vertical plane, upwardly extending members positioned at the outer free ends of said horizontally extending members, a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured to said upwardly extend-- ing members at their upper ends, the upper ends of said bucket supporting arms being of L-shape whereby the pivot is placed oil. center with respect to the supporting arms to increase the height at which said bucket can be moved in a horizontal position, and hydraulic means for mcving said bucket between vertical and horizontal positions, said bucket contacting the free ends of said horizontally extending members when in vertical position.

9. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power driven mobile carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage and comprising a pair of members pivoted at one end to said carriage and extending beyond the end of said carriage, upwardly extending members positioned at the outer free ends of the pivoted members, and a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured at their upper ends to said upwardly extending members at their upper ends, the upper ends of the bucket supporting arms being of L- shape whereby the pivot is placed off-center with respect to the supporting arms, said bucket sup porting arms lying parallel to and close to said upright members and closely adjacent said upwardly extending members when said bucket is used for digging or grading, and a hydraulic means comprising a cylinder and piston pivotally connected between the upwardly extending members and the bucket supporting arms below the pivot of said L-shaped supporting arms.

10. A mechanical shovel and loader including a power driven mobile carriage, a frame mounted on said carriage and comprising a pair of members pivoted at one end to said carriage and extending beyond the end of said carriage, upwardly extending members positioned at the outer free ends of the pivoted members. and a bucket having spaced supporting arms pivotally secured at their upper ends to said upwardly extending members at their upper ends, th upper ends of the bucket supporting arms'being of L-shape whereby the pivot is placed off-center with respect to the supporting arms, said bucket supporting arms lying parallel to and close to said upright members and closely. adjacent said upwardly extendin members when said bucket is used for digging or grading and a hydraulic means comprising a cylinder and piston pivotally connected between the upwardly extending members and the bucket supporting arms below the pivot of said L-shaped supporting arms, yoke members extending upwardly from and intermediate the ends of said pair of pivoted members and rigidly secured together at their upper ends, and tie rod means extending between said yoke members and the upwardly extending members.

' EDWARD SHINN, Jx. 

